“I'll send a ointment recipe over for you to use,” Marion laughs, “It will help with the pain and will protect your skin when they break through.”
Part of me knows that I should thank her for it, but the bigger part of me is still sore from her poking my head so I don't muster much of a response.
“Oh you should also send a message to your Coven,” she continues while ignoring my silent treatment, “And inform them of this. Let me know when you want leave, and I'll try and grant it.”
“She'll need leave?” Iris looks around.
“It is a fairly important event,” Morgan starts to explain for her, “and, assuming her Coven follows the normal tradition, will be celebrated on her next birthday.”
“Ah, there is something to look forward too,” Shiva whispers and hums to herself.
Before I can ask what she is humming about there is a knock at the front door again and everyone turns towards it. After a moment a guard opens the door and leans his head in, “There is a young woman saying that she is here to visit the residents. A Maya Samura.”
Marion moves before anyone else and looks out the door and nods her head. “Good Evening Maya,” she calls out and opens the door farther, “How have you been?”
“I've been well,” Maya steps in and pulls her hood down before adjusting the basket on her arm. She looks around and her gaze lingers on Adriana and Morgan for a moment before she looks over at me. She glances away and bows slightly at Adriana, “It is an honor to meet with you again.”
“You don't need to worry about the formalities,” Adriana waves her hand with a slight smile.
“So what brings you here?” Iris asks with a perfect ladylike smile.
“Fiona is going to stay the night with us,” Maya turns and returns her own smile that she slightly hides behind her fingers, “And I thought it would be most polite to inform everyone about that before it got late.”
“Is that so?” Iris nods, and there is an almost palpable tension between their gazes.
“So are you just going to let them stare one another down?” Shiva whispers to me.
Maya glances at me again and starts to walk my way before I say anything, “And a little fox told me that my Lily was feeling unwell today.” Her hips sway and once she reaches my side she bends over and places the back of her hand against my cheek. “You don't feel feverish,” she purses her lips and her gaze roams on my slumped form.
“Her horns are growing,” Adriana steps over and looks down at me with an almost uncertain gaze.
“I think she is trying to decide if she can comfort you,” Shiva muses.
“I was fine until someone decided to press on my head,” I gripe and sit up to look for Marion. She sticks her tongue out at me and I swear just looking at her smug face makes my head throb more.
“Horns?” Maya murmurs and after a second her tails start to swing into the corner of my vision and she giggles. I turn my gaze over at her and she gives me a sheepish grin, “I'm sorry I wasn't laughing at you. I was just thinking how much cuter you will be with tiny Succubus horns.”
“That's right,” Marion agrees with her.
“Who wants to be called cute by you?” I turn my irritation back on her.
“I'll have you know,” she sticks her chest out proudly and places her hand on her hip, “My harem loves it when I call them cute.”
I can't even bring myself to keep arguing with her, so instead I turn away and go back to ignoring her. I pick my bowl up and quickly drink the broth in the bottom, “So what else can I expect?”
“Other than the pain,” Morgan speaks up from behind Adriana, “You can look forward to... let's call it a growth spurt, and if you have a like for hats you will need to get them refitted.”
“Growth spurt?” I glance around, and look up at the others, “heh.”
“I hate to burst your bubble,” Shiva starts to laugh, “but the only that's going to grow on you are those breasts and your hips.”
“Ah that's not-” I pause as it dawns on me, “There's no way you didn't know what was happening.”
She just laughs at my accusation and doesn't even try to defend herself, and I slump back on the table.
“A-are you okay?” Maya gently tries to comfort me by rubbing my shoulder.
“It just occurred to me what will grow,” I mumble into the wood and Marion starts to laugh at me as well.
“It's just a few clothing adjustments,” she gasps between her words, “You shouldn't grow enough to cause any major changes that you would have to get used to.”
I glare at her but what she says makes sense since Emi is pretty small and has had her horns for as long as I can remember.
“If you look at it another way,” Shiva giggles and tries to coax me, “This will make you an elder of your generation. None of the rest of your immediate sisters have grown their horns yet after all.”
“I suppose,” I nod my head after a moment and look back around the room.
Adriana keeps throwing glances my direction and I raise an eyebrow at her but she doesn't say anything. Instead she walks over and slightly bows her head at me. “I realized that I didn't properly thank you for your protection,” she sighs and shakes her head, “it slipped my mind when we had our- dispute.”
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“It's fine,” I find myself sighing as well, “It was my responsibility to protect you.”
“But-” she looks slightly distressed but at the same time like she can't figure out what to say and I shake my head at her.
“I survived, with a minor injury,” I try to ease her guilt, she really is too nice for her own good, “I received good treatment, and payment, for my service. If not for the horns I would have already resumed patrols.
It takes her a moment but she manages to get her face back under control, although the look in her eyes tells me she won't let it go. She nods her head and takes a breath, “It's good that you weren't seriously injured. We are going to leave tomorrow and I wanted to check on you before we left.”
“Then I will wish you safe travels, warm food, and soft beds in advance,” I nod my head at the two of them.
Everyone continues to lightly chat for a few more minutes until they gather back in front of the door and prepare to leave. “Until we meet again,” Morgan bows his head at us and Adriana follows suit.
“Remember to make and use the ointment,” Marion points at me, before she slips out the door and starts to round the guards back up.
“Stay safe, and take care of yourself,” Adriana gives me one more look before they follow Marion out the door.
Iris throws a scrutinizing glance at me before she looks back at the closed door and then back to me again. “What is it?” I ask her after a moment.
“Just a silly thought,” she shakes her head, before her gaze falls back on Maya. “We thank you for stopping by and for watching our little one,” she sounds overly polite when she addresses her, “And we don't want to hold you up any later.”
“While that's sweet of you,” Maya responds and scoots next to me before linking our arms, “I'm going to spend the evening so that I can take care of my poor darling.”
“Ah what a shame that we don't have any clothes that you can wear,” Iris sighs and shakes her head, “Or a bed that you can sleep in. We can't have a guest sleeping in the cold sitting room now can we?”
“It's alright,” Maya nods her head in understanding, “I've brought my own clothes, and soaps. And of course I'm going to sleep with Lily. What if she were to wake in the middle of the night and need something after all?”
“So you intend to crawl in the bed of someone that is suffering from, what is effectively an injury, and disturb her rest.”
“Someone is leaving out that she slithers in your bed every night,” Shiva giggles while I try to think of a way to appease the both of them.
“I'm a very good sleeper,” Maya assures Iris, “I don't move around at all... Unlike a certain clingy snake.”
Iris goes red at being called out, and before I can ask how Maya knows that Iris is a clingy sleeper she speaks up on her own, “Well if you know that, then you must know that Lily only sleeps naked with others.”
Maya looks at me and after a moment nods her head and smiles, “All the better. Her skin is so soothing I'm sure I'll have the best night of sleep next to her.”
Iris looks about as shocked as I felt when I told her my no clothes rule and she agreed to it. “That's enough from the both of you,” I shake my head, “The bed is big enough for the three of us. I've been squeezed between five on a smaller bed before so if the two of you can't manage-”
I point a finger at the both of them and Shiva muffles a squeal that I ignore.
“You've been with that many women before?” Maya asks and after a moment starts to go red.
I refrain from teasing her and shake my head, “If it's sleeping, my bed gets heavily invaded when I'm staying home. Being the coldest person in a hot environment will cause that.”
“I'm going to take a bath and get ready for the evening,” Maya recovers quickly, and leans in and murmur in my ear, “Would you care to join me?”
“I've been bathing in the mornings, or early afternoon, since it has gotten colder,” I turn her down.
“Ahem,” she coughs lightly, “Like I said I'm going to get changed and I'll join you in your room in a few minutes.”
She changes her plans in the blink of an eye before she turns and runs towards the bathroom. I take a moment and give Iris a look, and she scoffs, “You can't get in the bath alone with that vixen. If you give her an inch she'll steal a mile.”
“Oh so you are going to join us in the morning?” I tap a tail at her belly.
“That's right,” She nods without any hesitation.
“Eh?” Her instant response leaves me stunned.
“I'll go mix your medicine real quick,” she continues before I recover, “You go ahead and keep resting until then.”
She leaves my side and rushes off towards the kitchen. I leave the front hall empty and walk back into my bedroom and take a look around.
I have too much of a headache to try and reason out much of what happened tonight. I just shake my head, strip out of my clothes, and throw them over to the pair of pants I tore this morning. I'll wash them in the morning and see about stitching up the hole as well.
The door creaks open and Maya shyly peeks her head in and looks around. Her gaze lands on me and she stares for a second before stepping into the room fully. She has put on one of the plainer nightgowns that she sells, and washed her makeup off.
“Aren't you worried about getting cold?” she steps over and after a moment of looking between the beds pulls me towards mine.
“Yes but not really,” I shake my head as she pulls the blankets back, “Like I mentioned before, I'm always cold.”
“Then let me keep you warmer,” she gripes and pushes me at the bed. I sit down and she nods before fluttering about the fireplace. While she stokes the fire Iris walks into the room with another cup of medicine.
“Bear with it for one more night,” she sighs as I crinkle my nose, “and hopefully the medicine Marion sends over will work well for you.”
She puts the tray in front of me and I notice that there are three cups of tea, each paired with a small pastry. I look at the tray and raise my gaze up to her face and she doesn't say anything but she goes a bit red in her cheeks.
If she doesn't want to mention I won't bring it up either; instead I pick up the cup of medicine and hold my breath while drinking it as quickly as possible.
I quickly chase it with sips of tea and after playing with the fire a bit more Maya steps over and joins us for tea. We pleasantly chat about nothing of importance and I find myself yawning as I take another bite of pastry.
“All right,” I yawn again and throw a gaze at the darkening sky, “I'm going to bed now, the two of you can join me whenever you want.”
“Of course I'm going to join you now,” Maya declares and stands up, “It would be awful if we were to disturb you once you get to sleep.”
“Then you had best get undressed,” Iris watches her before she stands and pulls her own nightgown over her head. She stands in front of us as if to declare that she doesn't have anything to hide. I don't say anything about her cheeks going red, or her pink nipples jutting out in the cold air.
I crawl over into the middle of the bed and as I turn back around Maya has made up her mind and takes off her gown and underwear as well. She doesn't hesitate before crawling into bed on my right so I don't get a good chance to look at her.
“Or you could say she retreated as fast as she could,” Shiva giggles at her and the bed sinks on my left as Iris slides into next to me.
They both press up against me and it's almost like they are competing with who can lay closer to me. It actually reminds me of home so I just shake my head at their antics.
“Hey, hey, Lily,” Maya sweetly tries to get my attention so I turn my head and look at her. She leans in, quickly places her lips on mine, smiles, and whispers, “Goodnight.”
“Mmm,” I hum and nod, “Goodnight.” There is a light tapping on my left cheek so I turn to Iris. She blushes before leaning in and lightly kissing me as well. “Goodnight,” I whisper to her as well, and she smiles.
“Night,” She murmurs and sheepishly buries her face in my hair.